This invention relates to sealed rotary joints as, for example, in kingpin construction.
In rotary joints such as kingpins, bearings are employed and in order to prolong the life of the joints, it is necessary to provide lubrication seals thereat. Heretofore, a particular difficulty in fabricating such joints has been the provision of sufficient clearances for initial assembly of the components together, which clearances are not so large as to permit a great deal of play and which are not so small as to damage sealing elements interposed between joint components during the initial assembly process. In some constructions, it has also been particularly difficult to achieve optimal loading of the seal. Excessive loading will accelerate seal wear, leading to a short life joint, while insufficient loading will allow lubricant leakage requiring accelerated maintenance and increased down time of the mechanism in which the joints were used or, premature joint failure due to a lack of lubricant.